Stocking



STOCKING J. L. BAUSHER Filed May 12, 1950 Aug. 23, 1932.

Patented Aug. 23, 1932 UNITED STATI-:s

ra'raN'r 'o1-"FICE,

JEREMIAH LEE BAUSHEB, OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA, .LSSIGNOB T INFAN T SOCKS, INC., OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA., A CORPORATION F DELAWARE STGC'KING lApplication led May 12, 1980. Serial No. 451,617.

My invention relates primarily to infants socks or the like, and more particularly to an improved article of this nature, and the method of knitting the same to produce a sock having a neat xedly folded-over rib-knitted cud portion that will maintain its shape under all conditions and provide an increased elasticity over the elasticityof the le portion suiicient tosupport the latter on t e leg of the wearer.

Stockings have heretofore been formed with a so-called turned welt produced by folding over during the process of knitting a top portion of the leg-'and re-engaging its I 15 end loops on the needles to interknit themwith the next leg course produced,

And half hose have heretofore been formed with a top portion of ribbed fabric having the loops at one end integrally vunited to the leg 213/ ortion by a prelimmarv transfer of said oops tothe knitting needles of the leg forming machine.

Neither of the above known tops however form a satisfactory turned-cuff top desirable i alike for its increased elasticity to support the short sock or hose on the le of the wearer, and as a neat ornamental nlsh for said sock top. The turned-welt is obviously of the same knit fabric as the leg portion and lacks 3o the necessary increased velasticity desired for supporting the sock, and moreover has notl `sufficient body essential for proper effect of the ornamental cuff. The ordinary ribbed exposes the differently appearing reverse side of the fabric, but such folds require care to insure a neat appearance, and when not fixedly held are subject to ready displacement causing an unsightly and neglected effect.

My improved sock with its xedly held turned culi' top not only provides the desired ornamental effect and increased elasticity, but constantly maintains such neatly turned effect even when hastily drawn on the leg by the inexpert hands ofv a very young child. And the reverse side of my turned cuff may have the identical finish as the normall l exposed side, which will permit of an additional turn down if desired without change in appearance.

top, when folded over, not only undesirably With the above advantages outlined, and with others that will appear as the description progresses, my invention comprises the improved turned cuff sock or hose and the method of knitting the same as hereinafter more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawing, the novel features thereof being fully set forth in the appended claims.l l

Referring to the drawing:

v F 1g. l is a side elevation of a childs .sock

or short hose embodying my improvements,

a portion of one side thereof being broken away to clearl show the inside face of the underlying si e. g

Fig. 2 is an enlarged diagrammatic perspective view of a fragmentary portion of the top of the sock shown in Fig. l, indicating the integral junction of the cuff and leg portions. v

cssv

i Fig.' 3 indicates a suitable cut-olf length Referring more particularly to Figs. l-and' leg knitting z 2, my improved sock or short hose comprises j a usual foot portion -5 and leg portion 6, with a ribbed-fabric turned-cui portion 7 having the loops at both its ends 8 and 9 interknit with the top course of loops of the leg portion 6 to inte leg and iXedly etermine and maintain the -neatly folded cuff portion 7 And in forming this cuff portion 7, the

upper half of the length of ribbed fabric employed, is preferably folded` inwardly and downwardly so that the normally exposed and reverse faces of said cuff will have the same identical surface finish.

In forming the junction of the ends 8 and 9 with the top course of loops of the foot portion 6, if all the loops of said ends are transferred to the needles, it may in some cases produce too heavy a suture course for a. sightly appearance besides putting too rally unite sald cuff tothe A heavy a strain on the thread of the leg poralways has a neatly appearing turned cuil tion. I therefore preferably engage only some or half of the loops of the inner end 9 with the needles, leaving the intermediate loops unengaged. Such partially engaged series of loops issuilicient to securely unite the edge 9 so that it cannot vbecome free, and the nature of this ribbed fabric is such that ravelling of the unengaged loops is impossible, the direction of ravelling being from the reverse end 8 ordinarily. Some cornmercial rib-knitted strips are formed with' several courses, adjacent the lines of severance into individual top lengths, in which the loops are alternately arranged and ofhalf the number of adjacent courses. Employing such special courses as transfer loops for the end V9, all may be engaged if'desired, arranged on alternate needles of the machine.

A sock thus embodying my improvements portion not y subject to unsightly displacement or improper folding; forms a strong integral structure; and provides desired adequate elasticity in the top portionfto support the sock on the leg in proper stretched condition. While shown and described as a cnilds sock, it is obviously equally applicable to any hose employing a top cuff portion of elastic ribbed fabric.

To conveniently and economically produce my improved sock above fully described, I employ the following preferred method: Fig. 3 indicates a suitable cut-off length of ribknitted fabric preferably having a full course of loops l() at one end thereof and a course of half the number of loops l1 at therotlier end, alternately spaced with relation to said full course loops. Such half course series of loops have heretofore been employed in a usual ribbed fabric to guide proper cutting-olf of top lengths and to facilitate ravelling in a normally reverse direction back to'a selvage or non-raveling course heretofore employed as the finished top edge of the ribbed stocking top. By folding over inwardly and downwardly the upper half of said length of ribbed fabric on the transverse line lf2- l2 I produce the turned cuff for my sock. And to facilitate the transfer of the loops l0 and ll tothe needles of the leg knitting machine, I employa usual quill ring or transfer bar in known manner. Fig. 4 indicates such a quill ring 15 having the loops 10 engaging all the points 16 of the latter, and the loops l1 engaging alternate ones of said point-s, said loops being readily pressed olf from said points to the needles 17 of a leg knitting machine for subsequentknitting of the leg and foot portion as heretofore. When the ribbed fabric is not formed with the special loops 11, I simply engage selected ones of the full course on the points 16, leaving the intermediate ones unengaged, as ravelling is normally effected from the reverse end having loops l0. The

'. understood. rl`he 4advantages of my improvements have heretofore been stated, and the novel features thereof are fully set forth in the following claims.

What I claim is:

l. As a new article of manufacture, a knitted stocking comprising separately knitted top and leg portions, said top portion being formed by an interinediately folded stri of rib-knitted fabric, said rib-knitted strip aving a full course series of loops at one end and a series of a reduced number of spaced loops at the other end, and both said series of loops being interlinitted with the lirst course of the plain-knitted leg portion of the stocking, said full course series engaging with every loop of said first course and said reduced number series with spaced loops of said first course.

2. The process of knitting a stocking having a separately knitted intermediately foldedy welt of rib-knitted fabric and an integrally united plain-knitted leg and foot portion, which consist-s in intermediately folding a cut-ofi' strip of rib-knitted fabric, transferring the loops at bath ends of said strip to the needles of a plain knitting machine, and thereafter knitting a plain-knit leg and foot port-ion on said needles.

3. The process of knitting a stocking having a separately knitted intermediately folded welt of rib-knitted fabric and an integrally united plain-knitted leg and foot portion, which consists in intermediately folding a. cut-off strip of rib-knitted fabric having at one end thereof a full course series of knitted loops and at the other end a spaced series of knitted loops of reduced number, transferring both saidy series of loops to a series of needles of a plain knitting machine, said full course series of loops engaging with every needle and .said reduced num er series engaging spaced needles of said series, and thereafter knitting a plain-knit leg and foot portion on said needles.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

J EREMIAH LEE BAUSHER.

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